Epic Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/17

[Derek and Jeannette Lovitch]

Hi all,

An absolutely outstanding morning flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin's Island, Yarmouth this morning. After a clear pre-dawn, clouds were rapidly moving in, which again impacted identification. But today, the 2nd-all-time-highest unidentified tally was simply due to overwhelming volume: I'm just not good enough to sort through them that quickly by sight and/or sound. And at times, I just counted batches and sat back an enjoyed the show, leaving ID for only the low birds. A special thank you to Matthew who was late for school in order to enjoy the flight and monitor the shrubs below me. 

6:22-9:00

49F, partly cloudy, NW 8.3-13.4 mph. Becoming overcast and light drizzle, NW 8.1-9.6

With Mathew Gilbert

3,091 Unidentied *2nd highest all time, and I make no apologies about it!

1,664 Northern Parulas *New Record. 

428 American Redstarts

182 Cedar Waxwings

46 Magnolia Warblers

43 Blackpoll Warblers

39 Black-throated Green Warblers

29 Cape May Warblers (*new record)

25 Yellow Warblers

21 Black-and-white Warblers

20 Tennessee Warblers (*new record)

15 Red-eyed Vireos

14 Nashville Warblers

13 Canada Geese

11 Northern Flickers

9 Yellow-rumped Warblers

8 Bay-breasted Warblers

7 Black-throated Blue Warblers

7 Wilson's Warblers

6 Common Loons (not including one that slammed into the wires and narrowly avoided crashing onto the road)

4 Eastern Wood-Pewees

4 Philadelphia Vireos *2nd highest)

3 MerlinS

3 unidentified flycatchers

3 Swainson's Thrushes

3 Wilson's Warblers

3 Chipping Sparrow

3 American Goldfinches

2 Eastern Phoebes

2 Blue-headed Vireos

2 unidentified vireo

2 Red-breasted Nuthatches

2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

2 Northern Waterthrushes

1 Sharp-shinned Hawk

1 Osprey

1 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER (late)

1 Least Flycatcher

1 unidentified Empid

1 American Robin

1 Golden-crowned Kinglet

1 Brown Creeper

1 Ovenbird

1 Prairie Warbler

1 Palm Warbler (FOF)

1 Blackburnian Warbler

1 White-throated Sparrow

1 Lincoln's Warbler

1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

1 DICKCISSEL (FOF)
1 Rusty Blackbird

x Common Yellowthroat

T= 5,733 (*2nd highest all time!)

-Derek

*****************************************

 Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

 Freeport Wild Bird Supply

 541 Route One, Suite 10

 Freeport, ME 04032

 207-865-6000

 www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com  

 ****************************************

[Sean Hatch]

My first time at Sandy Point was in 2011, I also saw a Loon hit the wire, tumble and lose altitude but recovered well before the ground. I thought it was the oddest thing.

[Derek Lovitch]

Far from odd, it’s a far-too-often occurrence at unmarked high-tensions lines where they cross water. Collisions are regular at Sandy Point, especially with flocks of Double-crested Cormorants, but few are as violent as today’s. I also see Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and gulls hit. Most fly off, but I have seen cormorants killed or injured on multiple occasions, and have found everything from Ruddy Ducks to a Great Blue Heron dead below.

And I am only there on the clear days without fog or precipitation.

-Derek

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 17, 2019, at 3:42 PM, Sean Hatch <sean...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> My first time at Sandy Point was in 2011, I also saw a Loon hit the wire, tumble and lose altitude but recovered well before the ground. I thought it was the oddest thing.
>

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